Friday, June 26, 2009

Changes In Brain Architecture May Be Driven By Different Cognitive Challenges

The point is that you think what you think because you see what you see. Print makes it easier to see abstract ideas and to practice logical thinking. The other point is that social insects are the place to look for how communication works.

Changes In Brain Architecture May Be Driven By Different Cognitive Challenges: "ScienceDaily (June 25, 2009) — Scientists trying to understand how the brains of animals evolve have found that evolutionary changes in brain structure reflect the types of social interactions and environmental stimuli different species face.. . .“We can learn things about ourselves from a whole variety of animals. When neurobiologists use animal models they often look to rodents and primates,” said Molina. “I would argue social insects like wasps are like us in some ways and should be an important model as well. In this study we found that it’s not being social, but how you are social that explains brain architecture. The brain can be a mirror reflecting what an animal is using it for.”. . .The study is the first to compare multiple species of related animals, in this case social wasps, to look at how roles of individuals in a society might affect brain architecture. The research looks at brain structure differences between species, asking how the size of different brain regions relates to each species’ social complexity and nest architecture. The results are being published June 24 in the British journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.. . .One idea is that social interactions themselves put on demands for advanced cognitive abilities. We are interested in finding out exactly which social and environmental factors favor an increase in a given brain region,” said Molina.